


For One So Small

by Stratagem



Series: Voltron Space Family [1]
Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Family Fluff, Gen, Pre-Voltron: Legendary Defender, Protective Siblings, Sibling Bonding, little lance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-29
Updated: 2017-08-29
Packaged: 2018-12-21 05:00:01
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,407
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11936820
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Stratagem/pseuds/Stratagem
Summary: Eleven-year-old Lance gets to hold his baby sister for the first time and ends up naming her.





	For One So Small

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: I don't own VLD!
> 
> A/N: I just really wanted to write about Lance meeting his baby sister for the first time. Lance is eleven years old here! Short and sweet, although I guess it's a little bittersweet if you're reading my long fic Water and Blood...

Lance was the only one still awake in the waiting room when his baby sister finally made her grand entrance to the world. He was running off of the coffee dregs his Uncle Eterio had let him finish, the caffeine buzzing through his system while the rest of his family crashed on the couches and chairs. Unable to sleep, Lance had squished himself into a window ledge and played games on Montez's tablet.

When his mom had gone into labor, Lance had almost been left at home with his little brother Theo and his Aunt Maria. However, Lance had started rattling off any and every argument that came to mind, declaring that this would probably be the last little sibling he would ever have and it wasn't fair that he wasn't going to be there when she was born and how could they do that to him, that was evil, why were they mean, so on and so forth. Montez and Paz had been on his side while Gavin had been all for leaving him at home.

His mom had ended the whole fight by yelling at all of them to get in the car, Lance included. He had bolted out the door and launched himself into the back seat before anyone could protest.

There was no way he was falling asleep after all that arguing. He deserved to be there, and he was going to stick it out until the end. Which was why he bummed some candy from Paz and wheedled his favorite uncle into forking over the coffee.

Besides, this baby was going to be his responsibility, in a way. In his family, each of the older siblings took charge of a younger one. While their parents made time for each of them, it made it a little easier on everyone when an older sibling had a designated younger sibling to look after. Gavin had started it when Paz was born, then Montez claimed Lance, and Paz took over Theo. That meant this was baby was Lance's to keep an eye on.

He had to make sure he didn't screw up.

It was around three in the morning when his dad came into the waiting room, a huge exhausted smile on his face. He glanced around and then gestured for Lance to come over. Lance immediately slid off the window ledge and picked his way through the room, resisting the urge to 'accidentally' knock his foot into Gavin, who was sleeping on the floor.

Papa ruffled Lance's hair. "So you're my only hold out."

"Yep," Lance said with a grin. "Is Mama okay? What about the baby?" He stepped past his dad, looking up and down the quiet hospital corridor.

"They're both doing just fine," Papa said, "Do you want to see them?"

"Really? Heck yeah!" Lance started marching off, certain he knew where to go.

Papa caught the back of Lance's shirt before he could head off in the wrong direction. He affectionately squeezed the back of Lance's neck before nudging him toward the left. "This way, Lance."

"I knew that. I was seeing if _you_ knew that."

"Of course."

When they reached Mama's hospital room, Lance hovered in the doorway while Papa stepped inside. A lamp on the bedside table cast a warm yellow glow on his mother's skin while she sat propped up by pillows, her long brown hair loose around her shoulders. Lance's gaze zeroed in on the small white bundle nestled in the crook of her arm.

"Hey, _conejito_ ," Mama said, a tired smile on her face as she used Lance's old pet name, "Come here and say hello to your new sister."

Didn't have to ask him twice. Still, he held himself in check, walking over instead of running. His mom patted the mattress, and he carefully climbed up next to her, trying not to jostle the bed too much.

Lance peered down at the tiny new member of his family, automatically mesmerized. She was asleep, long lashes brushing her red-splotched light brown cheeks. Dark hair covered her head and stuck up at odd angles. He reached toward her then hesitated, looking at his mom for permission.

"You won't break her," she said, "She's not made of glass."

"But she's so little. Theo wasn't this little," Lance said.

"No, Theo was a hefty baby," Papa said. He was sitting in the chair beside the bed, his long legs kicked up and resting on the mattress. He had his eyes closed, grabbing a moment's rest while he could. "But you were small like that."

"Lance was longer," Mama said. She leaned over and pressed her forehead to Lance's head for a moment, nuzzling him. "You've always been lanky, _mijo_."

Since his siblings weren't there to tease him for being a mama's boy, Lance didn't move away or make a face. He scooted closer and then tentatively touched his baby sister's soft cheek before brushing his hand across her kitten fuzz hair.

"What's her name?" he breathed, not wanting to wake her up. Everyone had been asking for months, but his parents had been determined not to tell anyone. They had done the same thing when every other kid was born so they hadn't seen the point in changing that tradition with this one.

"We still can't decide," Mama said, shooting his dad a frown, "Your papa is being beyond unreasonable."

"Evita Isabel is a pretty name, Atala," Papa said, not bothering to open his eyes, "We'll call her Evie."

"And Teresa Josefina is a wonderful name." Mama glance down at Lance. "Tell him, _mijo_."

Lance squinted and tilted his head to the side as he looked at his sister. Oh man, he didn't want to make an important decision. What if he chose wrong and she had to live with that name for the rest of her life? What if she hated her name? What if she hated him for it? What if…

A gentle hand touched his cheek and his mom lifted his chin until their eyes met. "Don't think so much," she said, "You're not going to ruin anything."

He grinned, relief settling over him. "Okay, then we should name her Batgirl Moana Zelda."

"It has a certain ring to it," Papa said, closing his eyes again, "Batgirl Moana Zelda. Bamozelda…"

"Oh, dear, you need to sleep." Mama laughed and shifted toward Lance. "Do you want to hold Batgirl?"

Lance blinked and then nodded. He had lots of practice with holding babies since he had a good number of cousins, and he had already been eight when Theo was born. Mama laid his sister in his arms, and Lance was careful to support her head, holding her close. Her hand was free from the blanket, and he couldn't help but reach out and touch her itty bitty fingers. They flexed and wrapped around his own finger, tighter than he expected. He peeked at her face and found that she had woken up. Her eyes were blue-grey and so big, and she was awake, uh-oh—

"Mama," Lance said, frozen, "She woke up. Help."

"She's all right," Mama said, looping an arm around him, "Look at those pretty eyes."

Lance gingerly rubbed his thumb over the back of her little hand since she didn't seem keen on letting his finger go. A fierce feeling of protectiveness welled up inside him as she yawned and squeezed his finger. Everyone else in his family could look after themselves, even three-year-old Theo to an extent. But the new baby? She was so small, she needed him...

"I'm your big brother Lance," he said to his sister, "And you're Josie."

"Josie?" Mama's eyebrows lifted in surprise.

"Josefina Isabel, or just Josie," Lance said, glancing up at her, a little embarrassed. "I think it's nice. It's good, right? We don't have to call her that." But he really thought it fit.

"Josefina Isabel," Papa said. He sat up and looked at Mama, his small smile almost hidden by his beard. "It's very nice."

"Better than Batgirl?" Mama said, poking Lance in the side.

"Only by a little bit." He looked up at his mom. "Do you think she'll like being called Josie?"

"I think she'll love it," Mama said, kissing his temple.

Lance leaned against her and watched as Josie fell back asleep in his arms, her grip loosening on his finger.

Yeah, he was never going to anything bad happen to her ever.

 


End file.
